Silver and Solid Steel
by turquoisehawk
Summary: After Shishidou is kicked off the regulars, all he can think about is becoming a regular once again, but he realizes that he can't do it alone.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is my first fanfic ever, but I don't know if it's that good, and I'm not a good writer. I only write for my own amusement. And english is not my first language, so I'm sorry for all the bad grammar and misspellings. I'm still learning. Please R&R! And just another warning; some of the sentences will probably seem really weird, but as I said, I'm still learning. And it isn't beta-ed.

This is kinda dedicated to Kamakari Kenta (Shishidou in Tenimyu) and Ootori Choutarou, and it's a late birthday fic. Omedetou!

* * *

Silver and Solid Steel

* * *

It struck him like a train; his body was numb. He stared at the monster in front of him; also called Tachibana Kippei. Tachibana's gaze pierced through him, and his hand which gripped the racquet started to shake.

"Set, game and match to Fudomine's Tachibana, 6 games to 0." The referee called out over the silent court, and he tried so hard to move; but it was impossible. He knew what lied ahead.

He was now utterly defeated, and therefore, he was useless to the Hyoutei team. It was like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from. However, a sharp voice shook him out from the daze.

"Shishidou Ryou." He turned to look at the owner of the voice. "Return from the court." Atobe Keigo, the captain, said and Shishidou walked off the court with heavy footsteps. Atobe's voice was dripping with disappointment.

"Atobe..." Shishidou started, but Atobe held up a hand.

"Not now." It felt like someone was hitting him with an axe, over and over again. How had he screwed this up so badly?

They had lost against Fudomine Jr. High. The mood when they returned back to the school was dark, like a dark cloud hanging over them. But for Shishidou, it was ten times worse. He looked around at his teammates, all clad with the Hyoutei Regular jacket. He was too, but it would probably be the last time.

When he left the changing room, he gave the jacket to Atobe, who did not say a word. No one said a word to him as he left, because they knew that he wanted to be left alone; or they didn't care. After all, he had only been a regular for a little more than two weeks.

His grip around the black bag with Hyoutei Gakuen marked on it with silver letters tightened. Instead of taking the train, like usually did to get home, he walked around aimlessly. After a while, he arrived to the tennis courts. The light that lit the tennis courts was strong and bright, and the courts were empty. The sun had already started to set, and Shishidou went in to the courts. He took his racquet and a few tennis balls, and soon, he was standing at the service line. With anger flowing through his veins, he threw up the ball in the air. In one rapid moment, he swinged the racquet towards the ball, and the ball flew perfectly into the service court. Serve after serve was perfect. His play was pretty good. So why had he lost against Tachibana? He was better than that... or was he?

Doubt started to creep into his body.

* * *

It wasn't easy to return to the tennis courts of Hyoutei Gakuen two days later. He wasn't exactly happy to face Atobe, Oshitari and even Mukahi... But he went anyway. His love for tennis, and his need to get stronger was there, so he found himself standing in the never-ending lines of hundreds of normal members of the club. He hated this feeling; he wanted to become a regular once again. He knew that he was good enough. Silent lied over the courts, as the regulars appeared. Atobe went first, of course, and Oshitari and Mukahi were right behind him, along with Kabaji. Taka strolled along, playing with his racquet. Shishidou gritted his teeth.

"You ignorant little..." he muttered to himself, when he saw Taka play with his racquet, like he was actually safe. One loss and it would all be over. But Taka wasn't a bad person; just a little arrogant. And now, when he walked so carelessly along with the other regulars, playing with his racquet... Shishidou started to feel sick.

Behind Taka came Jirou and Hiyoshi. Jirou was yawning, as always. So there they were, the seven regulars. The last one, which used to be him, was missing. Maybe they haven't found one yet?

Atobe raised his hand, and the low mumbles in the crowd disappeared. He gave off his usual, sophistically smirk.

"The eighth regular..." he started, and Oshitari and Taka shot a glance at Shishidou, but he ignored them. He wasn't going to be pitied. Atobe continued.

"We'll announce the eighth regular tomorrow. Now, get to practice!" he said, and the lines quickly scattered. The first-years started at their regular swings, the second-years started to run their laps around the courts, and the third-years, like him, scattered around at the courts. The only courts that were free were the regulars' courts. He wanted to be there so badly. In the corner of his eyes, he saw Oshitari shoot him a last glance before he went off to the regulars' courts.

Oshitari was one of the regulars he liked the most. They had a lot of classes together, and they had been pretty good friends even before Shishidou had become a regular. Or well, friends weren't very important in Hyoutei Gakuen, seeing as the school wanted the students to be independent, or whatever. Therefore the cruel policy in the club. But Shishidou considered them friends, and he was pretty sure that Oshitari considered them friends too.

The training passed quickly. He quickly retrieved his bag from the non-regular club room, and then he went straight to the street courts. He wanted to become better; he had to become better. Otherwise Atobe would never let him be a regular again.

The street courts were almost empty. A few people were playing doubles, but he wanted to focus on his serve. Maybe he'd even find someone to play with.

His serve has gotten better. Even he could see that. He served, over and over again, and both the speed and the aim slowly got better. One of the doubles players came over, wanting a match with him. He agreed. He won the game.

When he went to bed that night, all he could think about was tomorrow; the eighth regular.

* * *

The classes quickly passed by, and he was in a daze most of the day. He got scolded a lot, because he wasn't listening. But that wasn't important right now. He wanted to know who the new regular would be. He wanted to know who had replaced him. He was nervous, he admitted that. He walked onto the court, and time couldn't pass fast enough. It seemed like it took forever for the seven regulars to get on the court. Every second-year and third-year in the lines was excited and nervous. After all, they had a chance to become regular. Atobe smirked, like he always did, before his mouth opened.

"After a long discussion, we've decided..." He paused, and it was painfully difficult to stand still for Shishidou as he waited. "... That the new regular..." Another pause. Everyone sucked in their breath. "... will be Ootori Choutarou."

Shishidou was dumbstruck. Who? Who the hell was that? He had never heard of him. If it was a second-year, he was going to be royally pissed. He wouldn't get replaced by a second-year!

A tall silver-haired boy stepped out from the line, and Shishidou curiously gazed at him. It wasn't a third-year. He gritted his teeth. It seemed like he had got replaced by a second-year that he didn't even know of. The boy – was it Ootori? – accepted the regular jacket that Oshitari held out for him, and Oshitari said something to Ootori that Shishidou couldn't catch. Slowly, a weird feeling started to spread in Shishidou's body. He knew that feeling, even if he hated to admit it.

Jealousy.


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Silver and Solid Steel  
Chapter 2

* * *

"Argh!" Shishidou Ryou said as he walked to the train together with Oshitari. "I can't believe it!" He threw up his arms in the air, and Oshitari cast him an amused glance.

"Is it about Ootori-kun?" Oshitari said, even though he already knew what the answer would be. He had seen the annoyed glances Shishidou had threw at Ootori during practice.

"He's a second-year! He is a second-year, and he replaced me! Me! Can you believe it?" Shishidou said, and sighed. The practice today had really thrown him off. He wasn't even in sub-regulars now, and he couldn't stand it. Oshitari looked at his annoyed friend.

"Are you going home?" Oshitari suddenly asked, and Shishidou looked at him.

"Well, yeah, but... I don't have to go home immediately." He said thoughtfully, as he popped a finger under his chin.

"We can go to the street courts, if you want. I thought you'd appreciate the extra practice." Oshitari gave off a small grin towards Shishidou, who looked surprised. Then he grinned at Oshitari, while picking up his pace.

"Really?" he said, and his grin became wider. "Because, you know, I'm planning to get back onto the Regulars, so I really need to shape up my game." Shishidou said, and Oshitari looked at him.

"You sure kantoku will let you?" Oshitari said, and Shishidou shoulder stiffed a little.

"I'll make him let me back on the team." Shishidou said after a minute of silence, and Oshitari chuckled. Somehow, he knew that Shishidou would make anything in his power to get back on the Regulars. Shishidou was that type of guy.

They arrived at the courts. Shishidou was beyond excited to play with Oshitari. After all, Oshitari was one of the best players on the team. When they were preparing for the game, Shishidou gripped his racquet, and glanced over at Oshitari. He had improved somewhat since the defeat, but he knew he had to get better.

Oshitari served. The serve was fast and strong, but after all, Shishidou was a dash specialist, and therefore, his reflexes were extremely fast. A long rally started between them, since both of them refused to lose the first point.

In the end, it was Oshitari who took the point, and it made Shishidou even more frustrated than he already was.

"Hey, Shishidou! Concentrate!" Oshitari suddenly called from the other side of the court, and Shishidou sent him a glare. What did Oshitari think of him?

"I know that." He muttered, before receiving another serve. He then dashed to the net, and won the point by a well-placed volley. The match was tough, and he was breathing hard by the time the match was finished. Oshitari had won a narrow win, and it annoyed Shishidou even further.

"You played well." Oshitari said, but before Shishidou could answer, Oshitari's eyes focused at something, or someone, behind Shishidou's shoulder. Shishidou frowned before he turned around, and he looked at the person who was just walking by. He recognized the silver hair and the tall frame. Ootori.

He looked at Oshitari again.

"That Ootori... how was he?" Shishidou asked, referring to the regulars' practice. Oshitari smirked.

"Why don't you find out by yourself?" Shishidou's eyes widened when he saw what Oshitari was about to do. But before a word could escape the tensai's lips, Shishidou's hand was firmly placed over Oshitari's mouth.

"Don't you dare." Shishidou whispered, and when he, a few seconds later, removed his hand, Oshitari continued to smirk at him.

"What, are you afraid?" Shishidou glared at him.

"Of course not." He replied. "I want to see his strength when he meets..." Shishidou stopped, and once again, he popped a finger under his chin, as he thought about the up-coming match.

Since Ootori was a new regular, he would play a game against another regular, to see if he was worthy of the regular jacket. If it was a crushing defeat, Ootori would be kicked off the regulars. He looked at Oshitari.

"Who was it he was gonna play?" he said, since he couldn't for his life remember who the opponent was.

"I'm pretty sure it was Taka." Oshitari replied, and Shishidou nodded. Taka was pretty good – it would be hard for Ootori to win the game. They watched at Ootori's back as he quickly disappeared from their sight, and then they started another game. To Shishidou's huge dismay, Oshitari won that too.

"It was a narrow loss." Oshitari said as they walked home. "You've improved." He then said, and Shishidou grinned at him.

"Of course I have. How would I otherwise be able to regain my regular position?"

* * *

Shishidou's blue eyes followed the silver-haired boy as Ootori walked onto the court with his racquet in his hand. Shishidou still didn't know what to think of the boy. He seemed... nice, way too nice, and maybe pretty naïve too. His personality would probably show in his game too. Shishidou didn't expect too much.

It was Ootori's serve. Taka prepared for the serve as he got into position, focused on the ball in Ootori's hand. To Shishidou's surprise, he saw Ootori's moth move, as he muttered something to himself as he threw the ball up in the air. Then, in one rapid, blurry moment, Ootori's racquet connected with the ball, and before anyone could react, the ball had hit the fence behind Taka, before then hitting the ground. Shishidou's mouth dropped in shock. That had to be a fluke... That serve had to be over 190 km/h! No way could a second-year hit a serve like that. Shishidou wasn't even sure if he had ever seen a serve like that in his life. It had to be a fluke.

"15-love!" The referee, one of the sub-regulars, called out, and Shishidou saw Taka's wide eyes stare at Ootori in shock. Once again, Ootori let the ball bounce a few times, before throwing it into the air. Then, in the same blurry movement, the ball flew over into the service court. The second serve was faster than the first.

Shishidou couldn't believe his eyes. Taka was helpless against Ootori's serve, and that was saying a lot. No wonder Ootori had been chosen as the new regular.

A double fault followed.

"30-15!" the referee called out, and Shishidou sighed. Maybe it had been a fluke after all. But as Ootori served again, it was as fast as his previous serves. One serve later, and the first game was won by Ootori. Shishidou wondered if it was more to him than his serve. If his serve was the only strong point, then he wouldn't last long.

But it seemed like Shishidou was wrong. Ootori was a good player; he won the second game too. And the third too, because it was his service game. Taka managed to win the fourth and the sixth game, and it was now 4 games to 2. Shishidou glanced at Ootori. The guy looked tired, but not as tired as he should've been because of that serve. Shishidou thought that that serve should've been really tiring. How did Ootori manage to hit it so many times without being completely exhausted?

In the end, Ootori won the match, 6 games to 3. Ootori looked tired, but not nearly as exhausted as Taka.

Someone placed his hand on Shishidou's shoulder. As he turned around, Oshitari looked at him.

"Pretty good, isn't he?" Oshitari said, and Shishidou nodded. Even if he hated to admit it, Ootori was pretty good. But there was just one thing he had been thinking about since Ootori's match had started.

"But isn't every regular singles player better than him?" Shishidou asked, and the blue-haired tensai nodded.

"You're right. But Atobe won't place him in singles. He's thinking that doubles suits Ootori-kun better." Shishidou looked at Oshitari.

"With who?" Oshitari shrugged.

"It hasn't been decided yet. I guess Atobe is going to let him play with a few different players." Oshitari said, and before Shishidou could reply, Oshitari's doubles partner appeared behind Oshitari. Shishidou groaned on the inside.

"Yo, Shishidou!" Mukahi said, and Shishidou glared at him. Oshitari sighed before adjusting his glasses. When Mukahi didn't get a respond from Shishidou, he continued.

"He was pretty good, right, Yuushi? He could probably rival Shishidou's skills. Well, obviously he could, since he's a regular, and Shishidou is not. And that serve, whoa!" Mukahi his eagerly said, throwing up his arms in the air.

"Gakuto..." Oshitari said, but before he could continue, Shishidou started to walk away from the doubles pair. One half of the pair annoyed the crap out of him.

"Got lots of homework to do. See you later, Oshitari!" he said over his shoulder, before he gritted his teeth in annoyance. Mukahi, the little red-haired devil. It surprised him how Oshitari could put up with him.

But Mukahi had been right about one thing...

Ootori was a regular, and he was not.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I won't be able to post anymore chapters until Monday, since I'm going to Gothenburg. Please R&R! (:

* * *

Silver and Solid Steel  
Chapter 3

* * *

Two days quickly passed. Practices were hell for Shishidou – he'd never realized how boring the normal practices was. He had grown accustomed to the sub-regulars' training, and then the regulars' training.

The normal practices weren't enough from him to get better, so he started to spend hours and hours on the street courts, playing against a wall, improving his stamina or practicing his serve. He wanted to wear that regular jacket once again.

Shishidou quickly shoved down his t-shirt into his bag, and put on another one. He threw the bag over his shoulder, before he exited the club room. Practice had just ended. Shishidou hurried out of the club room, eager to get to the street courts. He could feel the change inside of him, and he enjoyed it to a maximum.

However, on his way out, he bumped into someone slightly taller than him. He quickly looked up, and met a pair of brown eyes; those eyes he didn't wanted to meet.

"Ah, Shishidou-senpai." Ootori said, surprise evident in his voice.

"Yeah, that would be me." Shishidou answered, and Ootori fiddled with his regular jacket.

"Um... It was nice to see you, Shishidou-senpai." Ootori said, probably nervous. Shishidou nodded at the younger boy, before they both left the awkward silence. But then, an idea sprung to Shishidou's mind.

"Oi, Ootori!" Shishidou called out as he turned around. Ootori turned around, and his eyes slightly widened with surprise as Shishidou called out his name. Shishidou gave off a smirk at the boy.

"Are you up for a match?" Shishidou said, and Ootori slowly nodded.

"I don't have anything else to do right now, so..." Ootori answered, but before he continued, Shishidou had already taken off to the courts. He wanted to experience that serve. After all, he was a dash specialist, so he should be able to return it. Right?

They entered the now empty courts. Even the freshmen had left, and Shishidou quickly got into position. Ootori looked at him with a surprised glimpse in his eyes.

"Don't you want to serve, senpai?" he asked, and Shishidou shook his head as he got into position.

"Show me that serve of yours!" The moment he said those words, the surroundings seemed change in a strange way. He looked over at Ootori, who looked like a completely different person than before; his eyes were slightly squinted in concentration, and it even felt like the temperature dropped a few degrees, but that could just have been Shishidou's imagination. He followed the ball as Ootori threw it in the air with a controlled throw. He followed the motions of Ootori's racquet, but he never saw the ball that was hit over the net; he barely managed to take one step against the ball before it was far behind him.

"What the..." Shishidou whispered to himself. The serve looked even faster than when he'd simply watched the match between Ootori and Taka. Now, when he was the one who was receiving the serve, it didn't surprise him that Taka had never been able to touch Ootori's serve during that match. He looked over at Ootori again. The boy had already changed positions, and he was getting to serve again. Shishidou quickly went over to the other half of the court.

After two other, flawless serves from Ootori, something disturbed their match.

"Ootori!" a voice said; a voice that both of them recognized. It was Sakaki, the coach of the tennis team and also in charge of the orchestra. Shishidou frowned at Sakaki. Why was he here? Sakaki cast one, simple glance at Shishidou, before he turned to Ootori again.

"The orchestra is having an unprepared rehearsal." Sakaki didn't have to say anymore; Ootori turned to Shishidou with a sheepish smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, Shishidou-senpai. We'll have to finish this match some other time." He said, and Shishidou barely had time to nod before the silver-haired boy was off the court. Ootori quickly went into the regulars' clubroom, probably to change clothes again, and Sakaki went into the school.

So Ootori was a member of the orchestra? That was quite... interesting. Shishidou would never have guessed that. He wondered what the younger boy played. Piano? Violin? Or maybe cello? Not that it was his business, he thought as he grabbed his bag and started to walk off the school ground. He didn't bother to change clothes. He was going to the street courts anyway, so it didn't matter.

He spent the night playing against a wall.

He wanted a challenge; this was as good as he would get from playing against a wall. He needed strong players to face; otherwise he would never be able to become a regular again.

* * *

The air was cold as he opened the door of his house, when he was leaving for school. His house was pretty big, but it was nothing extraordinaire. It was Thursday morning, and the dark clouds were hovering over Tokyo. It looked like the rain would start falling at any moment. He sighed as he grabbed his bag, and then slammed the door.

When he reached the train station, Oshitari was already there. They lived pretty close, so they always had each other's company on the train.

"Good morning, Shishidou." Oshitari said, and despise feeling incredible sleepy, Shishidou grinned at the blue-haired tensai.

"'Morning, Oshitari." Shishidou replied just as the train arrived at the station. Both of them quickly got on the train, and they sat down on their usual seats. A deep silence lied over them, but it wasn't an awkward silence. Shishidou actually enjoyed this silences so early in the morning, and he didn't feel uncomfortable with Oshitari. After all, they had known each other since they were small.

Ten minutes later, they went through the gates to Hyoutei Gakuen. Shishidou remembered what his mother had said when he'd said he was going to Hyoutei Gakuen.

"_That's a school for snobs, Ryou. Why do you want to go to that school?"_ she had said, and she had sighed as she had heard her son's reply. After all, the main reason he wanted to go to Hyoutei was because of the tennis team. The tennis team in Hyoutei Gakuen was one of the best in Tokyo, maybe even in Japan, and it definitely was the biggest. He had known he would improve there; after all, all he was striving for in life was to become a hell of a good tennis player.

"Which class do you have now?" Oshitari asked, and the comfortable silence between them had disappeared. Shishidou hesitated for a moment.

"I think I have... uh... English?" he said, trying to clear his thoughts. "Yes, I have English." He said and made a grimace. English wasn't really his best subject. Frankly speaking, it was probably his worst.

"Didn't you say that you were having a test today?" As soon as Oshitari said those words, a whole chapter of incomprehendable words sprung into Shishidou's mind. He suddenly remembered what he was supposed to do last night.

"Fuck!" Shishidou said, slamming his palm into his forehead. "I'm screwed!" he said, and Oshitari chuckled.

"Well, good luck." He said, and with those words, Oshitari started to walk along the long corridor, and disappearing into the biology classroom. Shishidou were standing completely still, dumbfounded.

"Stupid English test. Stupid English. Stupid, fucking school!" Shishidou exclaimed, angrier this time. How could he have forgotten about the test?

His teacher would kill him. He longed for practice after school, when all classes would be over. God, how he hated school.

* * *

"Shishidou-senpai?" a voice said behind him as he entered the English classroom. He was practically growling for himself, and that was probably why everyone was looking strangely at him. He turned around, and he looked into a couple of brown eyes. Shishidou's mouth hung open, and he stared at the tall boy in front of him.

"Ootori?!" he said after a couple of seconds in silence. "What are you doing here?" he said, and he looked around in the classroom. Yes, he was in the third-years' classroom.

"Ah, the teacher told me to move up a class for English." Ootori replied with a soft smile. Shishidou stared at the kid. Ootori was regular of the tennis team, a member of the orchestra and he had good grades? His grades were apparently good enough for him to move up a grade in this subject, and that was saying a lot.

"Oh, I see..." Shishidou answered. "Is this your first lesson here?" he then asked, because he couldn't remember seeing Ootori in this classroom before. He would surely have remembered that, right?

"This is my fourth lesson with you, senpai." Ootori answered as he started to fiddle with his uniform. Probably a bad habit, because this was the second time Shishidou had seen Ootori do that. But as Ootori's words started to sink in, Shishidou frowned.

"Fourth?" he said, and Ootori nodded. Why hadn't he noticed Ootori before? But before they could exchange anymore words, the teacher entered the room. Ootori gave Shishidou a small nod, before Ootori went to a seat far in the back. Shishidou suddenly realized why he hadn't seen Ootori before; Shishidou had been assigned a seat in the front, because of his habit to fall asleep in English. He was starting to become like Jirou, but he couldn't help it. After all, English was the most boring subject ever. His grades could prove that.

One question, however, was stuck in his mind for the rest of the lesson. When had he become so accustomed to Ootori's presence? He spoke pretty freely with the boy now, which was quite a surprise for Shishidou. Ootori was the one who had taken over as a regular when Shishidou was kicked off, but strangely enough, that didn't bother Shishidou anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I know. No need to tell me. What has it been since the last chapter, almost a year? I feel really bad for it, but I had writer's block, and then so many things happened irl that I kind of forgot about it. Haha. But yesterday I decided to really finish it, so here's the next chapter. I know it probably suck, but I _hate_ writer's block.

Oh, and I read through the chapters a few days ago, and there were so many errors in it, so I've decided to edit them a bit and then reupload them... when I have time. But once again, please bear with all the grammar faults and spelling errors! Enjoy.

* * *

Silver and Solid Steel  
Chapter 4

* * *

It was soon time for Hyoutei's first match since the loss against Fudomine, and Shishidou's inside was in uproar. It was the first time he would see Hyoutei playing a match against another team since his drop from the regulars. He wasn't going to be part of the team this time. No, he was going to be a spectator. How pathetic wasn't that?

Shishidou turned around in his bed and sighed. It was after three in the morning, and it was only a couple of hours until he had to wake up, but he couldn't sleep. He had been lying in his bed for hours now, thinking about the match against Yamabuki. Atobe was singles 1, as usual. Jirou was singles 2, and Hiyoshi was singles 3. Doubles 1 were Gakuto and Oshitari, and doubles 2 were Ootori and... well, there hadn't been anyone else than Taka.

Shishidou had watched the regulars' practices, and he knew that Ootori had yet to find a perfect doubles partner. He and Taka did not match very well, and the relationship between the two had been strained since Ootori had beaten Taka in that match. Shishidou knew that Taka was displeased about being in doubles 2 with Ootori, but Taka had had no choice. Shishidou just hoped they would be able to pull through.

He pulled the blanket over his head and forced himself to fall asleep. If he didn't fall asleep now, he would never be able to wake up in the morning. Soon, he was lost in a deep sleep.

* * *

Just as the clock turned eleven, Shishidou found himself watching a very painful match. Ootori and Taka wasn't holding up very well, just as he had figured. Shishidou was in the very back of the audience, and he wasn't cheering at the pair. He was just there to observe. Yamabuki's doubles pair, which Shishidou for his life couldn't remember the names of, were close to winning. Hyoutei's triumph card, Ootori's serve, had failed miserably.

Ootori's serve wasn't perfect, especially under pressure. And Ootori was under a lot of pressure today. He was playing his first match as a Hyoutei regular, and he was losing it too. Basically all of Ootori's serves had ended up in the net or far off the service court. Shishidou actually felt sorry for the kid. Atobe was watching the match very closely, and Atobe wasn't happy. Not even close to satisfied. Shishidou saw the sweat dripping from Ootori's forehead as he clutched his racket. Match point. Shishidou closely watched as Fudomine got a service ace, because it looked like Ootori had no fighting spirit left in him.

"Game, set, match, Yamabuki." The umpire called out over the court, and all that could be heard was Yamabuki's celebrating. Shishidou looked as Taka and Ootori walked off the court with slumped shoulders and disappointed faces. Shishidou knew the feeling. Kind of. Taka slumped down on the bench, sitting for himself, probably thinking about the loss and about what he had done wrong. Ootori, however, said something to Oshitari that Shishidou couldn't catch from the distance between them, and then Ootori simply wandered off, his eyes stuck on the ground. And just then, Shishidou decided to follow him. It even surprised himself, but it was like his legs had their own life. But he knew that Ootori felt awful now, and well... he wanted to do something that cheered the kid up a bit.

He had soon caught up to Ootori, who was walking really slowly. He was heading for the slot machines, probably getting a drink or a snack or something. Shishidou didn't exactly know how Ootori's mind worked.

When they arrived to the machines, Ootori put searched his pockets, but his hands fell down to his sides. Didn't he have any money on him? But Ootori didn't walk away; he stayed exactly where he was, staring at the machine, as in believing that the machine would cave in under his devastating glare. Shishidou walked up to him.

"Hey." He said, trying to be as casual as possible. Ootori didn't look up at him. Shishidou wasn't sure of why he was doing this, but something told him that he couldn't leave Ootori alone right now.

"Ootori." Shishidou said again, and Ootori slowly looked up at him, his brown eyes staring up on him. He looked kind of surprised to see Shishidou standing there.

"Hello, senpai." Shishidou grinned at Ootori. Always the polite one. Shishidou couldn't remember a moment when Ootori _hadn't _been polite.

"Don't you have any money?" he asked, trying to avoid talking about the loss. Ootori shook his head.

"No. Must've left them in my bag." He mumbled, and Shishidou started to search his pockets. Ootori had once again turned his eyes at the slot machine. Shishidou sighed in relief when his hand found a few cold, round objects. Coins.

"What do you want? A Ponta?" Shishidou asked, and Ootori looked up at him with a surprised look on his face.

"Senpai, you can't give me a Ponta! I'll manage." Ootori said, and Shishidou rolled his eyes.

"Move over." He said, pushing Ootori a bit so that he now was in front of the slot. "A Ponta it is." Shishidou put two 500 coins in the machine, and pressed the Ponta button. He picked up the two cold Pontas and handed one to Ootori.

"Here, drink it." He said, and Ootori reluctantly accepted the soda. Shishidou opened his and took a sip. It was a hot day, and the cold Ponta that was flowing down his throat felt amazingly good. He glanced at Ootori, who still hadn't opened it.

"Open it." Shishidou said with a grin, but when Ootori opened it almost monotonic, like a robot, Shishidou's grin faltered. "So, how do you feel?" Ootori looked like he had been hit. It looked so sincere that Shishidou almost had to look down at his hand to make sure that he hadn't hit him. Ootori sighed with his eyes at the ground.

"They expected me to win, senpai. That's why they made me a regular. And I failed them." Without another word, Ootori started to walk away, with the Ponta still in his hand. His shoulders were slumped, and Shishidou sighed. He gave up on making the kid feel better, and then walked back to the courts. He didn't doubt that the rest of the Hyoutei team would win this match, but they still had one loss in the protocol. Ootori hadn't been the only one to blame; it had been Taka's fault too. They just hadn't been synchronized, and he knew that Ootori and Taka wouldn't be able to win a single game like that.

Shishidou had mixed feeling about the pair's loss. It was possible that one of them would be off the regulars, and then Shishidou had an opportunity to become a regular once again, but he didn't want Ootori to be dropped either. The kid was actually kind of decent, but just decent, not more. Shishidou still disliked him for stealing his regular spot.

* * *

"_Near, far, wherever you are, I believe that the heart does go on!_" Shishidou wanted to strangle him. His ears were hurting, and it sounded like a violin being played by a deaf elephant.

"Mukahi, shut up!" he said, yelling at the red-head sitting beside him. Mukahi glared at him.

"What, you don't like my singing?" Shishidou took a deep breath and slowly counted to five. It didn't work. Not even close.

"No, it sounds like someone is dying, you freak." Without notice, Shishidou felt a slap on the back of his head. "Ow!" he cried, and then turned to his other side, glaring at Oshitari. Sometimes he hated the pair. Oshitari sat still, looking straight forward, but he had an amused smile on his lips. Shishidou glanced over at Mukahi again, who was smirking. Shishidou wanted to hit him.

They were sitting on a train. Shishidou was on his way home, and Mukahi and Oshitari were on their way to the tennis courts. They were going to work out a new doubles strategy or whatever. Unfortunately for his ears, the tennis courts and his house were in the same direction.

It had been a few hours since Hyoutei had beaten Yamabuki, and the match between Atobe and Yamabuki's captain had been the deciding one. It had been an exciting match, but Atobe had won in the end. But Shishidou hadn't spotted Ootori at all since their conversation. It was like he had disappeared from earth or something. Shishidou had seen Hiyoshi grab Ootori's bag when the match was over. Ootori was probably sulking around somewhere.

Not that Shishidou cared or anything. Not at all.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I read through the entire story again, and daaaaaamn, I seriously need to edit it. I will do when I have time. Anyway, I'm not happy with this chapter, but it's basically just a filler, because in the next chapter, things will start happening! At least I think they will...

Please R&R (:

* * *

Silver and Solid Steel  
Chapter 5

* * *

It was Monday, and everything was back to normal. Or well, as normal as it could be in Hyoutei. Shishido was sitting in the history classroom, his first lesson for the day. His teacher was talking about world war two, and while it was fairly interesting, Shishidou just didn't bother today. Usually he would, because he actually liked history, but today was just one of those off-days. Basically, he felt like crap.

"Shishidou-kun, do you know the exact date of D-day?" the teacher suddenly said, probably because she had seen him dozing off. For a moment Shishidou thought he had forgotten the answer, but after a few seconds, which seemed like an eternity, he was able to find the answer somewhere deep his brain, almost hidden behind all the trash.

"D-day occurred the 6th of June, 1944." He said proudly, grinning at his teacher. The teacher's eyes darkened; she was probably annoyed that he had gotten the answer correct. Shishidou was satisfied with himself. It wasn't everyday he was able to answer something correctly. It was quite rare, actually.

He longed for the lesson to end. Shishidou was hungry, and lunch was right after history. He glanced at the clock. The seconds seemed to move too slowly, like it was minutes instead of seconds. Soon it would be over... He counted the seconds quietly for himself, and then, finally, the bell rang. He sighed of relief, grabbed his books and rushed out.

* * *

Practice was tougher than usual. Well, it wasn't really bone-breaking tough, but the whole team was doing push-ups, running laps and playing speed games with each other. The match against Seigaku was coming up, and Shishidou knew that Seigaku was a good team, no doubt about that.

But it looked like they had to quit practice earlier today, to Atobe and Kantoku's dismay. Large, dark clouds were covering the sky, and if Shishidou hadn't been hallucinating, he could've sworn he had felt a raindrop fall on his cheek. He was certain that the rain was about to start falling any minute now.

He was playing a tie-break match against a junior, and he was the one serving. He served a fast serve right at the edge of the service court, and his opponent returned it, though barely. Shishidou rushed to his left and hit a backhand cross, and he saw his opponent struggle to get the ball over the net once again. This time, Shishidou hit a killer forehand, and his opponent had misjudged the direction and Shishidou easily won the point.

Just as it was time for him to start running laps, the rain started to fall just as he had predicted. The raindrops were solid and almost piercing against his bare skin. Shishidou looked back to the court, and saw some players trying to play their matches, but they failed. Everyone was moving into the clubrooms. Playing tennis in this weather would probably cause an injury or two. Shishidou shuddered from the cold rain and turned around to follow everyone back into the clubroom.

That was when he heard a tennis ball connect with a tennis racket. He froze at the sound. What maniac was still out there in the rain? He squinted his eyes, trying to see who it was.

He first saw the silver hair, and then the rapid movement of the tennis racket. It was Ootori. Shishidou frowned. Ootori was serving, over and over again. He didn't seem to care whether the ball hit the net or made it into the service court; he just grabbed another ball and served again. With a sigh, Shishidou decided to talk to him. He couldn't be out in this cold rain, not unless he actually wanted to catch pneumonia.

He stepped onto the tennis courts again, but Ootori didn't notice him.

"Ootori!" he yelled to make himself heard over the rain, and Ootori turned around, surprised at his senpais's voice. He had just been serving a ball, which he simply let fall down on the ground again and slowly roll away.

"Senpai..." Ootori said while frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, for one, you can't be out in the rain, you idiot. Playing tennis in rain is suicide, you know that." Ootori sighed.

"I just want to practice on my serve, that's all."

"Why? It's already the fastest one in the team." Shishidou replied, and Ootori smiled a bit at him and looked up to meet his eyes.

"I don't have full control over it, that's all." It was true. Ootori often double faulted, but Shishidou just couldn't figure out why he couldn't practice his serve after the rain had stopped. Shishidou shuddered again, and his short hair was now hanging in his eyes. He was soaked.

"But practice it after the rain then!" Shishidou said, but Ootori shook his head.

"I can't. Orchestra rehearsal." Ootori walked over to the bench and grabbed his bag. He had finally given up on the idea of staying out in the rain. "I'll see you around, senpai."

And with that, the conversation was over. Ootori was heading back to the clubroom, and Shishido looked as he disappeared. Something about the kid gave Shishidou the feeling that Ootori wasn't the type to give up just because of bad weather. But he seemed pretty busy, like he had a lot up his sleeve at the moment, mid-terms coming up too and all. Maybe too much? Who knew.

Well, Shishidou had his own problems to worry about.

* * *

It was just past seven when Shishidou arrived home that day. He had been hanging out with Atobe and Jirou at a Chinese restaurant, because it had been a long time since only the three of them had hung out. They had been talking about memories from freshman year, when Atobe hadn't been the King and when the three of them had been ball boys. It had been fun, and he had enjoyed it.

The small house he lived in was completely dark when he entered it. He sighed. He felt the familiar stench coming from the living room. Shishidou quickly took off his shoes and looked into the living room. His mother was lying on the black couch, and the table in front of her was full of empty bottles. Alcohol. She always drank much when she and dad had been fighting. It had been that way since Shishidou had turned nine, when their disputes had begun. Not that he didn't love his parents, because he did, but seeing them fighting all the time... well, he detested it. His dad could be a real dirtbag sometimes. His mom knew that, he knew that, his brother knew that, even his dad knew that. But the fighting continued.

He was surprised they hadn't divorced yet.

He leaned over mom, trying not to feel her breath that smelled of alcohol as he pulled a blanket over her.

Shishidou walked into his room and quietly closed the door behind him. He was kind of tired of being at home. Being at school, playing tennis or just being away from home felt so much better than actually being at home. He put down the bag on the floor and threw himself on the bed.

His walls were covered of various pictures of famous tennis players. His favorite player was Andy Roddick from USA, with that big serve. It was kind of like Ootori's actually.

Shishidou closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews! (: I really, really appreciate it, and it makes me happy when I read them (: I've kind of mixed feelings about this chapter, but then again, I have mixed feeling about every chapter.

Please R&R. Enjoy!

* * *

Silver and Solid Steel  
Chapter 6

* * *

He had been on his way home when it had suddenly hit him.

Ootori could help him. Ootori would be able to help him to get back into the regulars. Shishido was surprised that he hadn't thought of this before. It was perfect, it was _bulletproof_. With Ootori's serve, Shishido would be able to convince kantoku to put him back on the regulars.

Shishido thought about it all night.

This was the final piece he needed to become a regular once again.

* * *

"No." Shishido was dumbfounded. Had Ootori just said that word?

"What do you mean _no_? You have to!" Ootori shook his head. They were standing outside the tennis courts for morning practice, and practice was just about to start. But Shishido wouldn't let this go. No way in hell.

"I won't do it, senpai. It'll injure you."

"So what? If it will make me a regular, so be it!" Ootori looked at him with a disliking look on his face. Shishido stared directly into Ootori's brown eyes, determinate radiating from his body.

"I said no, senpai." Shishido growled at the younger kid in front of him. He resisted the urge to grab Ootori's jersey and shake some sense in him, forcing him to help him, despite Ootori being taller. But that would only get the situation worse.

He did the only thing he could do. He begged. "Please. It's the only chance I've got. Please, Ootori."

Ootori sighed and looked down on the ground. It seemed like ages before he finally replied.

"Okay. I'll do it." He said with a low voice, so quiet that Shishido could barely hear him. But he did.

"Great!" Shishido beamed. "See you at school courts at 6pm?" Ootori nodded. Shishido walked away, feeling better than he had done in a long time. Things were going to be better now. He would be a regular again.

He would make sure of it.

* * *

The pain was almost unbearable. Keyword being almost. He could feel the throbbing pain in every part of his body; but he didn't stop. Ootori was standing at the other side of the court, hesitating more with each serve. But when the serve seemed to get slower, Shishido had yelled at him. Every time Ootori's serve had ended up in the net, Shishido had shouted at him. Every time Shishido had fallen to the ground, he yelled at Ootori to stay where he was.

He bet the kid felt awful, but it was none of his business. Shishido needed to catch that amazing serve of his with his bare hands, not return it with a racket.

It was past eleven now. Ootori prepared for the serve once again, and threw the ball up in the air. He wasn't mumbling what he always was, but he hit the ball nonetheless. It hit the net, and Shishido was almost afraid it would go straight through the net, with that frightening power that it possessed.

"What do you think you're doing!? Focus!" Ootori didn't respond. He looked down on the ground before slowly grabbing another ball. Shishido didn't have time to care for Ootori's feelings at the moment. He had a serve to catch.

The next ball hit him on the knee, making him collapse to the ground. Ootori, who had learned his lesson, stayed exactly where he was. Shishido grunted in pain, before slowly getting up.

He could do this. He had to.

Ootori served another ball. It almost ripped Shishido's thumb off, but he had for the first time been close. It was the only time he would be close to catching it that night.

One ball hit him on his shoulder. Another one in his stomach, making him lose his breath. Ootori refused to serve more that night when he got hit in the forehead, almost knocking him out. Shishido sighed.

"Same time tomorrow, okay?" Shishido said to Ootori, and Ootori simply nodded before he grabbed his bag and stalked off. Shishido looked at his back until he couldn't see it anymore. Shishido hoped Ootori would forgive him for putting him through this.

He hoped his own body would forgive him, too.

------------------

The next day passed by in a daze. He went to his lessons, ignoring all the stares. He ate lunch outside, under the big oak. He went to more lessons, still ignoring everyone's stares. It was when he met the annoying red-head that he was woken up from his painful daze.

"Oh my god!" Mukahi's voice was shrill, and it was hurting Shishido's ears in a way that a tennis ball never could. "What have you done?" Shishido met the doubles 1 pair on his way to practice. He hadn't seen anyone from the regulars that day until now.

Oshitari was standing beside his doubles partner, silently observing Shishido's bruises.

"It's nothing." Shishido said to Mukahi, and casually waved it off. Well, it hurt like a bitch, but Shishido wasn't going to admit that.

"Nothing my ass. Come on! Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me..." Mukahi chanted, and Shishido glared at him.

"Shut up." Mukahi grinned at him.

"Not until you tell me."

"Fine. I fell down the stairs, happy now?" Mukahi burst out laughing, but Oshitari was still silent, his thoughtful gaze looming over Shishido.

"I'm gonna go change. See ya." He left the pair behind him as he strolled into the changing room. He bumped into someone very tall as he walked through the door, but he somehow wasn't surprised that said tall person was Ootori.

"Ah, sorry, senpai." Ootori said politely, and Shishido took a good look at him. Ootori looked a little tired, probably for staying out with him so late. But other than that, he looked fine. Shishido still needed a few more days. He hadn't caught it yet.

"Don't be late, Ootori." Shishido simply said, and Ootori looked down. Shishido could tell he was uncomfortable with this whole thing, but Shishido needed this.

"I won't." Ootori said, softly as a whisper, before heading towards the tennis courts. Shishido looked at Ootori's blue and white regular jacket that was blowing in the air, and Shishido knew that that jersey would soon be his again.

Shishido walked into the changing rooms and pulled out a t-shirt from his bag. It was dirty, full of marks where the ball had hit it. Shishido quickly pressed it down in his bag again, and pulled out another one. At least this one was clean. He finished changing, and then he grabbed his racket and walked out.

His body was sore, but he could live with it.

* * *

Hit. Pain. One step closer to catching it. Hit. Pain. Hit. Pain. His mind kept yelling at him that this was pure torture, but Shishido ignored the voices in his head. He moved across the court, his blue eyes focusing on the fuzzy, yellow ball.

Its speed was frightening, but the more balls that hit his body, the less he was afraid. He was panting hard, his lungs extracting in and out, and when he looked across the net, he noticed that Ootori was panting hard too. Both of them were exhausted, but Shishido wouldn't give up. He refused to give up.

"Senpai." Ootori suddenly said, and Shishido stared at the silver-haired boy. "Why won't we call it a night?"

Shishido closed his eyes briefly, feeling his body swaying, like he was about to fall over. "No." he then replied. Ootori just sighed, slowly getting used to Shishido's stubbornness. Ootori picked up a ball from the basket and stared at it for a while, as if contemplating if he should hit it or not. After a while, he threw it up in the air.

Shishido had noticed that Ootori hadn't muttered his serving chant even once since they began these practices. He wondered if it was because Ootori didn't like his serve hurting someone.

Ootori's racket connected with the ball, and the serving motion was smooth and flawless, and hard to see. With that speed that Ootori had, the serve became blurry. The ball hit the service court, heading to the left direction of Shishido. Shishido felt his feet move, like they had wings strapped onto them. He saw his hand stretch out to reach the ball; but what shocked him what that he actually felt his fingers grasp the ball.

He couldn't believe it. Shishido watched as it seemed to pass by in slow motion. He had the ball in his hand, but it was so strong, so powerful, that he lost grip of it. He fell to the ground along with the ball, watching it bouncing on the court. He was breathing hard, still lying on the ground.

"You almost caught it, senpai!" Ootori said, but Shishido smashed his fist on the hard concrete.

"Damn it!" Ootori fell silent, and Shishido lay still. Shishido could hear footsteps approaching him, but he didn't care. He had been so close, so close, but yet so far away.

He felt a hand carefully grasp his shoulder. Shishido looked up and stared right into Ootori's worried, brown eyes.

"Senpai, I think we'll end this for tonight, okay?" Ootori said, but it was a statement, not a question. Shishido slightly nodded and his frustration was slowly disappearing.

"Yeah. Let's call it a night." Ootori got up from his crouching position and stretched out a hand for Shishido. Shishido accepted it, letting Ootori pull up his battered body. They walked over to the benches, both of them being tired to their bones. Ootori began to gather his things, and so did Shishido.

"Ootori." Shishido said before they were heading in different directions. "Same time tomorrow." Ootori swallowed hard, once again looking down on the ground.

"Yes, senpai. I'll be here."

Ootori offered a small, joyless smile before they walked off. Shishido closed his eyes as he walked to the train station.

He had been so close. So close.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I don't really have a lot to say this time... I've been starting to edit the first chapters and I'll add some clarifications and correct grammar and spelling, and change some scenes, and so on... But I'll se when I'll get to that.

I'll hope you'll enjoy this and please, R&R! (:

* * *

Silver and Solid Steel  
Chapter 7

* * *

Shishido yawned as he grabbed his bag from the bed and walked out from his bedroom. His muscles and his body were sore, but he had gotten new hope, and he was more confident than ever about becoming a regular again. He was about to go to the street tennis courts to meet up with Ootori, to once again go through the painful practice, or whatever you would call it.

As he walked past his older brother's room, the door flung open, almost hitting Shishido in the face. He had put up his arms in the last moment, otherwise he would've had a smashed in face by now. He stumbled backwards, glaring at the taller figure in front of him.

"Watch it!" Shishido said to his brother, Hiroki, but Hiroki just looked at him with a bored look.

"Oops."

"Don't 'oops' me! You're not the only one in this house you know, idiot." Shishido muttered, and Hiroki grunted. Hiroki had just finished High School, but he hadn't gotten into a college and was now strolling around at home. Or rather, he was too lazy to get into college.

Hiroki glanced at the tennis bag on Shishido's shoulder and frowned.

"Where're you going, little brother?" Hiroki said the words 'little brother' in a mocking way, because Shishido hated being called that, and Hiroki took full advantage of that. Shishido narrowed his blue eyes, identical to Hiroki's, and glared at his brother.

"None of your business, lazy-ass." Shishido said with a sneer. He wasn't particularly fond of his older brother, to say the least.

"Mom is out, so is dad, and I'm your brother, so yes, I consider it my business. Where are you going?" Hiroki said, and Shishido sighed, pretending to admit defeat.

"Library." He said, not being able to come up with something better. Before Hiroki could react, Shishido had pushed his way past him and Shishido was now running at full speed towards the front door.

"You lying punk!" Hiroki hollered from behind him, but Shishido was already heading for the train. His brother could be a real pain in the ass, Shishido thought as he entered the almost empty train. Hiroki had been pissed off at him since Shishido had decided to enroll in Hyoutei Gakuen instead of Yamabuki. Hiroki still had some school spirit left for his old school, and he detested Hyoutei. It was a snob school for all the disgusting, rich people, according to Hiroki.

And according to Shishido, Hiroki was full of shit.

* * *

"Hello, senpai." Ootori said as he saw Shishido approach. Shishido merely raised his hand in greeting. It looked like Ootori had been there for a while, as he had already warmed up and was now trying to keep himself warm by running some laps. That was what he had been doing when Shishido arrived.

Shishido warmed up quickly, eager to start the training. They had been doing this for a week now, a week of endless pain, and Shishido had blue bruises covering his old one which had started to become even darker. Ootori got into position, and so did Shishido. It was chilly outside, but Shishido didn't care.

And then it began.

Ootori's serves was amazing, but at the same time scary, which they had always been. An hour in, Shishido was breathing hard.

He was lunging for the yellow tennis balls, but they seemed so far away. They were too fast. His eyes were unfocused, but when he realized that he wasn't focusing, Shishido lightly shook his head to wake himself up.

He watched as the Scud Serve hit the service court, almost in slow motion, and then bounced up at a terrifying speed. Shishido felt his body move on its own, heading towards the ball. He held up his arms outstretched, and when he felt the ball in his hand, he tightly gripped it. He wasn't going to drop it again.

He stood there for a while, like a statue, feeling his hands burn. He was in shock, and so was Ootori. It was Ootori who reacted first.

"Senpai, you did it!" Ootori's voice was relieved, and he was probably happy that he wouldn't have to do this anymore.

Shishido was still staring at the ball in his hand. Had he... had he really done it? Had he caught it? He blinked again, but the ball was still there. He looked over at Ootori, before falling down on his ground, eyes locked on the dark night sky.

"Yes!" he screamed loudly, his chest moving up and down. He had finally done it. Now that he could catch the Scud Serve, he would be able to return everything. Everything.

And what a good feeling that was.

Shishido heard Ootori's footsteps getting closer and closer, until he was standing beside him. Shishido was still staring at the ball in his hand, trying to get it all to sink in. He looked up Ootori, and Ootori had a gentle smile on his face.

"You finally made it." Shishido smiled back, feeling happier than he had done in a while.

"Yeah. I did it."

And because he caught the ball, Ootori and his practices were practically over. All Shishido had to do now was to convince kantoku that he deserved to be a regular.

But how on earth would he do that?

He had to prove to kantoku that he was better than a regular on the team, and the only way to show that was to beat one of them. He didn't like it, but that what was what needed.

"Ootori." Shishido started. "You know I have to beat a regular to become one, right?" Shishido said, and Ootori nodded.

"I was aware of that."

Shishido was confident that he would be able to beat one. Maybe not Atobe or Jirou, but Taka, Mukahi, and even Ootori, yes.

But he had already decided that it wouldn't be Ootori. It couldn't be Ootori. If Shishido took Ootori's place as a regular, he would feel like a complete asshole. No way could he do that to him, not after the help Shishido had gotten from his kouhai.

But Ootori spoke up before Shishido could even open his mouth. "Senpai, I understand if you'll try to beat me." He said, glancing down on the ground. "I took your place, after all."

Shishido stared at Ootori. Was the kid really that naïve, innocent and nice, or was he just an idiot?

"What are you talking about? No way it will be you." Shishido said, and Ootori looked up from the ground, staring Shishido directly in the eyes.

"I wouldn't mind..." Ootori whispered, and Shishido sighed.

"Okay, listen now, I would be a jackass if I even thought about taking your place, got it?"

"But who would it be?" Well, Shishido was wondering that himself. Atobe and Jirou was way out of his league, and Kabaji was like machine on the tennis court. Oshitari and Mukahi was the best doubles pair of Hyoutei, Atobe would kill him if he even tried to replace one of them. Hiyoshi would simply glare at him and _then_ try to kill him. Everyone was expecting Hiyoshi to be the next captain of Hyoutei when the third-years graduated.

That left one single person.

Ootori's doubles partner, Taka. Not that Ootori and Taka had a really good combination, but there were still the doubles 2 pair. Ootori seemed to have realized that too.

"If that's what it takes..." Ootori started, shrugging his shoulder and playing with his racket. "Then do it." Shishido nodded. If he didn't beat a regular, he would never prove himself worthy.

Shishido looked over at Ootori as they went back to the benches to grab their stuff and head home. Ootori had really helped him out here, and Shishido didn't even know why Ootori had helped him.

"Hey, Ootori." Shishido said, but Ootori didn't seem to hear him, because he was turned away from Shishido. "Choutarou." Shishido then said. "Thank you." Ootori froze as he was about to put in his racket in his bag. He slowly looked over at Shishido with a shocked expression on his face. Shishido frowned. What was wrong with him?

"What did you say?" Ootori whispered. Shishido hesitated for a second.

"Uh, thank you?" Ootori shook his head.

"No, before that." Shishido thought about it until he realized it too.

"Choutarou..." He didn't know why he had call Ootori by his first name, but it had just seemed so right at the moment. Shishido grinned at Ootori, or well, Choutarou. "I guess I can call you that. We're, uh, friends, aren't we?"

Choutarou swallowed hard before managing to smile a gentle, soft smile at Shishido.

"Yeah. I guess we're friends."


End file.
